Pulley package



Sept. 8, 1953 w, p, KocH 2,651,410

4 PULLEY PACKAGE Filed Dec. 17, 1951 'l i. W i I i WH z/I l 74620,,,, /664' /Zzrvzgy I 1ii '3 ,9. ..Taka/ion Patented Sept. 8, 1953 PULLEY PACKAGE william P. Koen, Chicago, m., assignor to chicago Die Casting Manufacturing Company, a. corporation of Illinois Application December 17, 1951, Serial No. 262,070 claims. (oi. zoo- 65) The present invention relates to the art of packaging small pulleys each having :a hub on one side thereo-f. Such pulleys are usually enclosed, individually, 'in small cartons. These cartons are often 'arranged in little stacks on shelves, counters and elsewhere. A light blow, ora push, against such a stack causes it to collapse, so that the stack must be set up again.

The object of the present invention Iis to create a simple and novel means for individually packaging such pulleys that when placed in stack formation they automatically interlock and form a stack that is stable.

In carrying out my invention, I employ a container of greater height than the axial length of the pulley :and its hub, and provide the same in the top and bottom with openings large enough for the passage therethrough of the pulley hub. Therefore, when a number of the packages are arranged in stack formation, the pulley device within the lowermost container remains housed, while the Vhub'of the pulley in each of the other packages protrudes well down into the next lower container.

Therefore, viewed in one of its aspects, the present invention may be said to have for an object to create a package including a container for a pulley, which occupies no more space than does the container, but from which a part of thel pulley device may be caused to protrude and form van interlock with a similar package.

The various features of novelty whereby the present invention is characterized will herein-V after be pointed out with particularity in the claims, but, for a full understanding of the invention and of its objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a blank for a cartontype container used in the preferred embodiment of my invention; Fig. 2 is a top plan view, on a larger scale, of a package composed of a pulley and a Icontainer made from said blank; Fig. 3 is a section on line 3--3 of Fig. 2, showing, however, two packages in stacked formation; Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 -is a view similar to Fig. 3, illustrating a modifled form of container; and Fig. 6 is a. plan view of the stack in Fig. 5.

In the drawing I, I represent small pulleys each having on one side a, hub 2; the axial length of the hub being a little less than one half of the over all 'axial length of the Whole, This is conventional construction,

In the embodiment of my invention shown in Figs. 2-4, these pulleys vare packaged, individually, in small square cartons 3, each side of the square being approximately equal to the pulley diameter, and the height of the carton being at least a little greater than the axial length of a pulley and its hub. In this arrangement each carton has in the top a central, round opening 4 slightly larger in diameter than the pulley hub; and there being ya similar opening `5 in the bottom of the carton.

When a package is placed on a flat support, indicated by the line A in Fig. 2, the hub of the pulley rests directly on the support, while the upper side of the pulley lies at some distance below the top of the container. When a second package is placed on top of the first one, the pulley in the second package drops down until its hub extends well into the lowerV container. Thus the two packages are interlocked and will move as a single unit if pushed or pulled laterally.

With containers of the height shown, the hub of the second pulley rests on the lower pulley; but, if a third package is added to the stack, its hub will not reach to the pulley immediately below the same. However, the interlock between consecutive packages remains the same.

The container or carton may be constructed in any suitable way. For example, a very good container may be formed from a cardboard blank such as shown in Fig. 1; the broken lines in this view representing scored fold lines. In .the blank 6 and 'I are, respectively, the top and bottom sections of the carton, and 8, 9, IU and I I are the four side sections. A flap I2 is joined to one edge of the top section; this flap being glued to section 8 when the blank is folded to create an open-ended shell composed of sections 6, 9, 'I and 8. Each of the sections 8 and 9 has at its ends flaps III, I5 that are folded inward after the shell has been formed. When side sections I0 and II are swung down they hold flaps I4 in place and transform the shell into a carton having six walls. Sections III and II are provided with flaps I5, I5. Whenthese flaps are tucked in on top of bottom section I, sections IO and I I are locked in cartonclosing positions. Flaps I5 are cut away, as indicated at IB, to prevent them from obstructing opening 5, while allowing them to extend far into the carton.

The containers may also be of the cylindrical pill-box .type which, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, is composed of a body member I'I and a cover I8 in the form of a cap frictionally held on the body member. The body member need not have a bottom Wall, but may be a simple tube having a marginal portion [9, at the lower end, turned in to provide an annular shoulder that will serve as a rest for the body portion of the pulley when a package is lifted; .thereby preventing the pulley from dropping out. The opening 4 in this instance is in the center of the cover [8, sc that the packages in stackedformation are interlocked in the same Way as is true With the other form.

The containers Which I use are no more expensive than conventional cartons Which do not form a stable stack. Therefore I am able, at no increased cost, to package pulleys in such amanner that a stack containingtwo cr more packages may be pushed laterally WithQutcQIIaPSing.

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only a single preferred form of my invention, together With a=single modification, II do not desire to be limited to the exact details thus illustrated and described, but intend to cover all forms and arrangements that come within the definitions of `my invention constituting the Vappended claims.

'I claim:

1. A package consisting of a pulleyhaving a hub on one side anda lcontainer therefore containing an unobstructed space as wide as the diameter of the pulley Vand at least as high as the axial length o f .the'pulley and its hub, the container Vhaving in the Wall facing the hub a central opening smaller in diameter than the pulley and sufiiciently large to'permit Vthe hub to pass through the same, and there being in Vthe Wall, 4opposite to Ithe aforesaid wall, an opening thathas a diameter which alsois less than that of the pulley and slightly greater than the diameter of the hub.

2. A Vpackage as set forth in claim 1, wherein both openings are of thesame size, each having a diameter slightly greater than the diameter of thehub. V

.3. A package asset forth in claim l, Wherein the container is substantially higher than the the square ,being only .fislightly wvider than the diameter fef ithe ipulley iand at lleast as high as .the axial length of the pulley and its hub, the container having in the top and bottom walls openings smaller in diameter than the pulley and sufficiently large to permit the hub to extend through .the same, and the opening in the Wall 4facing .theside .of the pulley opposite that on .Whichthmhubislocated being of slightly greater diameter than the hub and of smaller diameter than fthe fpu'lley; isaid walls bounding an un- Qbstructed space within which the pulley may move up and down freely so as to be completely vhoused, along with its hub. or be in a lowered -Vpositionwith the 'hub proj-ecting'below the container.

5. -A-pa-ckage consisting -of a'pulley having a hub Von one 'side land a cylindrical container of the-same internal fdiameter ;as Vthe diameter of Vthe-pulley and of fafheight greater than the axial length of the pulleyand'hub, the end of the container facing the opposite side of .the pulley from that on'which 'the hub'lis located being flat and containing a central |opening of the same diameterasthe huh-and the opposite end of the container being open 'and Ihaving an annular internal shoulder Which at times forms a seat for a marginal -portion -of v*the pulley.

WILLIAM P. KOCH.

VReferences .Citedin -the lfile of this patent STATES 'PATEN TS Number 'Name Date 2,274,253 Howell Feb. 24, 1942 2,570,340 George Oct. 9, 1951 

